Vivergo Fuels dispute: Union contests breach of public order charge

A NATIONAL OFFICIAL OF THE GMB UNION will attend a preliminary hearing at Hull Magistrates Court today 17th May 2011, to answer a Public Order Act charge in connection with the ‘lock out’ dispute at the Vivergo Fuels site in Saltend.

Phil Whitehurst, an official for the Engineering Construction section of the GMB, was arrested on Wednesday 4th May while he was attending a protest against the lock out of 430 workers at the construction site at the BP Chemicals Park.

Mr Whitehurst was taken into police custody at Hull police station and video footage that he took of the event confiscated. He was released later in the day having been charged with being in breach of Section 14 of the Public Order Act.

GMB is fully supporting its national official who will be pleading not guilty and have appointed a human rights lawyer to represent Mr Whitehurst at the hearing and will be contesting the charge.

Further talks, convened by ACAS, took place yesterday between the employers and the Unions. This follows consideration by the workforce of a proposal put by the employers to pay £3,700 to employees to end the dispute. Previous talks have failed to resolve the dispute. However, the GMB reports that the number of members who wish to go back to work on the site is reducing on a daily basis.

The 430 workers have been locked out of the site since 14th March 2011.